MBOs in Maximo Automation Scripts: Intro – Using Java Methods

Maximo has consistently remained at the top of the list of Enterprise Asset Management systems throughout the years. While there are many reasons for this, one of the most important reasons has been its ability to easily adapt to different business requirements through configuration of the system.

In earlier versions, developers were able to extend core Maximo Java classes to invoke specific business logic. This offered an unprecedented amount of control for organizations to be able to tweak the solution to fit their needs. While this capability still exists, many organizations have subsequently shied away from these types of changes as they have upgraded their systems over the years. The skills necessary to maintain these customizations were difficult for a lot of organizations to supply, and IBM, understandably so, did not offer support for those heavily customized systems.

Automation Scripting was a new feature that was introduced in Maximo v7.5 based on the feedback from the user community. Customers yearned to have a simpler, yet effective way of customizing the product without having to go through the pain of system downtime and adopting the steep learning curve that came with Java coding and extending the existing Maximo classes.

Automation Scripting provides a lot of benefits to make custom business logic easy within Maximo. However, having knowledge of the Java methods available on Maximo Business Objects (MBOs) can greatly enhance your ability to perform meaningful or deep business logic changes within the system.

Subsequent blog article entries will cover in detail how to:

  1. Working with collection objects (MBO Sets)
  2. Reading single attributes of a collection
  3. Reading multiple attributes of a collection
  4. Modifying an object in a collection
  5. Adding new objects to the collection
  6. Exception handling
  7. Attributes with value lists
  8. Changing status
  9. Object relationships
  10. Query by example
  11. Long descriptions

… and more.

Hopefully these articles will unlock the ability to make the most out of the Automation Scripting capabilities of Maximo, and allow users to develop some useful business logic enhancements to their Maximo systems.  Look for our MBOs in Automation Scripts Series to run on the third Thursday of the month until completion.  And also check out some of our other articles here.

A3J – A Blog Life

One of our goals at A3J is to share, specifically information.  We’ve never found it very useful to keep the cards close to our chests, and we’ve always had a great admiration for those who aren’t afraid to put it all out there without regard to profit or fame.  The simple good will of getting information out that could help someone else is very uplifting.  With each blog article, we are paying it forward as a result of benefiting from other’s good will in the past.

We wrote our first blog piece in December of 2016, more than two years ago.  Hard to believe.  Like any new company with all of the players wearing too many hats, blog pieces were a scarcity, only happening sporadically and without planning.

Then one day we wrote the article that would go down in A3J lore as the lightbulb moment.  It was a little article on SSL and how to create a secure connection thereby protecting your Maximo environment.  It was an issue we had struggled with.  We knew many others who had as well.  So we wrote something on how we went about this task.  Needless to say it took off.

From then on we got serious about writing and recently we’ve created an internal initiative to make the writing more consistent.  As with any company filled with techies, the elation was vast, and their pens began to scrawl poetic words to rival Fitzgerald.  We jest.  Some came more willingly than others to the writing table, but everyone could appreciate putting out helpful content that made someone’s job somewhere a little easier.

So look for these blogs to post on the first Thursday of the month with the first one starting in April.  Many will be technically oriented but it’s all hands on deck and everyone will be writing an article.  Along with the technical articles, some will have a marketing focus or a professional services/management focus or brand new to EAM/Maximo deer in headlight focus.  Either way we hope they are helpful, insightful and maybe even occasionally entertaining.  In the meantime, check out all of our blog articles at www.a3jgroup.com/a3j-group-blog

Congratulations Alex Walter – 2018 IBM Champion!

For immediate release: February 13, 2018

 

Tampa, FL: Every year IBM chooses the best of the best and names them to a list of Champions.  Jumping the hurdle to become part of this group requires innovation, skill and dedication.  A3J Group is proud to announce that Alex Walter was named to the distinguished list of 2018 IBM Champions.

An IBM Champion is a thought innovator in IBM’s technical community.  IBM Champions are experts in IBM technologies, communities and solutions.  By recognizing these leaders, IBM strives to amplify the Champions’ voices and increase their sphere of influence.  An IBM Champion is an IT professional, business leader, developer, or educator who influences and mentors others to help them make best use of IBM software, solutions, and services.

I am honored to be named to the list of 2018 Champions. It’s exciting to be included in this distinguished group.  And I’m looking forward to continuing our focus on innovative solutions.

 Alex, CIO, A3J Group

After fifteen years in the EAM space, A3J Group formed under Alex’s executive leadership as a traditional consulting firm but also one that pushed the boundaries.  A3J Group’s widely varied customers have helped guide the team at A3J Group when deciding on which mobile initiatives to tackle next.  Being the best means listening to your customers and providing value they didn’t even know they wanted or existed.

Alex is someone who is always looking to be on the cutting edge of technology in order to provide the best user experience. He constantly researches and studies everything he can so that he remains the most knowledgeable and best equipped. It’s great to be working with someone with so much knowledge who is willing to have discussions on all topics at any time.   

Kelly, Senior Analyst, A3J Group

Executives at A3J Group are excited for how 2018 has shaped up for their company roadmap. They have aggressive plans to continue attacking the mobile market based on their customer experiences and demands as well as other macro elements influencing what users want and need.

It’s exciting to think about where we are going as a company. And seeing Alex recognized as a Champion is hopefully just the tip of the iceberg.  Sharing and collaborating is the way we will grow as a company and as an industry.  Our one goal remains – provide more value than expected at all times.  If we do that, we’ve done our jobs.

Kim, President, A3J Group

About A3J Group, LLC: A3J Group is a boutique consulting firm founded in 2016 and focused on technology solutions within the EAM industry.  In specific, they are focused on all areas of work with Maximo, an asset management system, through IBM.

Please direct inquiries to: info@a3jgroup.com or 877-A3J-GRP4

For more information about A3JGroup visit: www.a3jgroup.com